The Rainbow Warrior Shipwreck

The bombing of the Rainbow Warrior, Greenpeace's
flagship, was nothing less than an act of war committed by the French Government,
which caused huge resentment world-wide. But under water, the wreck lives
on, providing a refuge for sea creatures, and a destination for divers.
This chapter documents the wreck of the Rainbow Warrior to prepare visitors
what to expect, and how to understand the wreck's ever changing underwater
world. Interestingly, the wreck has become a voluntary marine reserve,
even though it is far too small to have a beneficial effect on its surroundings.

History and timelineThe story of the Rainbow Warrior wreck will forever stand out from
all others. Bombed by French secret service agents while moored safely
in Auckland Harbour, it sank quickly while photographer Fernando Pereira
died from the second bomb explosion. An act of war or of state terrorism
against innocent New Zealand and an organisation championing for peace,
that will never be forgotten nor forgiven.

It happened in the waning days of the French empire, still in competition
with the biggest war machines in the world, the USA and the British. The
race for bigger and better bombs made the tiny atoll of Mururoa with its
secret nuclear testing, of extreme importance to the French nation.

The Rainbow Warrior was sent to New zealand to lead a flotilla of voluntary
yachts protesting against the French' nuclear testing at Mururoa. The Rainbow
Warrior had been there before, being boarded by French commandoes. The
French Secret Service infiltrated Greenpeace Canada and was thus aware
of all plans. Then they decided to do the unthinkable: bomb the ship while
in an innocent small country.

1955: the ship, named the Sir William Hardy that was to become the
Rainbow Warrior was built in Aberdeen Scotland, as a North Sea fishing
trawler, to be used for research by the British Ministry of Agriculture
Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF). Length 40m, 418 gross tonnes.

1977: the ship is put up for sale and purchased by Greenpeace for $70,000
(£40,000)

1978 April: After a 4 months refit, the ship is launched for campaigning
on the seas: whaling, harvesting of seal pups and dumping nuclear wastes

1985: The Rainbow Warrior is sent to Auckland to demonstrate against French
nuclear testing on the Pacific island of Mururoa.

1985 July 10th: the Rainbow Warrior is sunk by two bombs in Auckland Harbour
while moored. Photographer Fernando Pereira dies.

1985: immediately an extensive Police inquiry is begun into this act of
war against an innocent country, while various French agents escape. Two
agents, Dominique Prieur and Alain Mafart are caught and sentenced to 10
years jail.

1985: the Rainbow Warrior is refloated but major saltwater damage has occurred.
It is decided to scuttle the ship.

1986 July: France pays New Zealand $12 million in compensation and the
two agents are extradited to France, who keeps them 'captive' on the island
of Hao for less than 2 years.

1987 Dec 13th: the Rainbow Warrior was laid to rest in a sheltered bay
of the Cavalli Islands.

The hole made by the first bomb explosion was very large
and immediately sank the ship which was moored in shallow water. It needed
to be patched before the ship could be transported. Also valuable items
were removed, as well as fuel oil.

The sinking of the Rainbow Warrior in 1987 became a festive
event. In the distance the new Greenpeace flagship. In the far distance
the main island of the Cavalli Islands, Motukawanui. The ship points in
an easterly direction.

Monument
(and photo) by Chris Booth http://www.chrisbooth.co.nz/rainbow.html
. Commissioned by Ngati Kura and New Zealand China Clays (near Matauri
Bay) to commemorate the sinking of the Greenpeace ship ‘Rainbow Warrior’
by French agents in 1985. Obtaining the local materials by sea was fraught
with difficulties as this is the Pacific Ocean and storms were prevalent
that year. Despite giving time for the project, funding was hard to come
by. However, local support was generous. Reparation funds from the French
government paid the final bills.

According to Greenpeace, the Rainbow Warrior’s name is taken from a
North American Indian prophecy - “There would come a time when the earth
would be ravaged, the seas blackened, the streams poisoned and the birds
fall from the sky. Just before it was too late, said the prophecy, people
of all races and creeds would rise up and band together to become Warriors
of the Rainbow and return the earth to its natural beauty and harmony".
The spirit of this ancient story became the inspiration for the early Greenpeace
activists, and a valued part of the Greenpeace legacy.

EcologyBehind the business of scuttling ships is the idea that they may become
artificial reefs, thus hopefully enhancing the environment. An artificial
reef created on a monotone expanse of sandy bottom, indeed becomes like
an oasis where everything is found what the sand habitat lacks: substrate
and shelter (and elevation towards the light). If a wreck is large enough,
it could even maintain its own ecosystem where everything depends on and
lives from everything else. Had ships been made from concrete, this ideal
could indeed be reached. However, ships are made of steel, and they rust.

The Rainbow Warrior was made of two metals: the body of steel and its superstructure
of aluminium. The refit was done in a shoddy way. Rather than welding the
aluminium sheets, they were bolted together on steel joining ribs. Above
water steel and aluminium appear to tolerate one another, but under water
they fight to the death. One serves as an anode and the other as a cathode,
with an electric current running in-between. It so happens that aluminium
is the superior conductor, and thus the anode (+), attracting the most
corrosive negative ions of chlorine (Cl-) and oxygen (O--). The steel is
better off, acting as cathode, and attracting the harmless positive ions
of sodium (Na+) and hydrogen (H+). Thus the steel is preserved and won't
rust until the aluminium has been sacrificed. This mechanism kept the steel
in virgin state for over a decade. Only attentive observers would notice
the pockmarks on the aluminium, from which gas bubbles burst at times.
Then the aluminium sides of the steering house and elsewhere came apart
from their steel ribs, and were blown off the ship by storm waves. Since
that moment the steel parts are rusting rapidly.
However, the decade of respite has given the encrusting life the upper
hand for now, covering the steel so densely that oxygen can't reach the
metal. But then there are the dark places, particularly those without circulation,
where the rust can develop. Here and there the blanketing crust becomes
damaged, and the rust wins.
The bottom line is that the Rainbow Warrior is not a bad little wreck
in the world of wrecks for now. It is in fact still beautiful but in the
end also destined to become a heap of rust.

f008323: the slow growing blanket of life has been damaged
on this railing, and the hydroid firs cannot keep up with the speed at
which the peeling rust removes them.

f021309: jewel anemones have formed a solid living blanket
over the railing, preventing oxygen from reaching the steel. Their lives
depend on it! Magenta jewel anemones by day.

Immediately after the ship was scuttled, it became a giant settlement
experiment. The first organisms to settle were pesky barnacles, covering
the entire ship while hiding the white peace dove. But easy come, easy
go, and the barnacles disappeared to make room for more durable life. That
was given to bryozoa (moss animals). Huge balls of finely branching bryozoa
hung off the railings and these eventually made room for plants, anemones,
sponges and the life that can be seen today. Attentive observers would
have noticed that many organisms were removed at the rate that the paint
began to peel, and that the successive waves of settlers repeated themselves
many times.

Eventually the master plan became visible: seaweeds on the sun-lit surfaces
and animal life on the dark surfaces. The bowsprit is still being fought
over because shaded sides and sunlit sides join, and animal life benefits
substantially from being out in the open where an unstoppable convoy of
planktonic food passes by. Note that animals can blanket the steel better
than plants.

f040815: the bowsprit is still being fought over: plants
against animals. Plants on top, animals below. Still no rust in sight.

f021322: acorn barnacles came and went early on in the settlement
race, but this barnacle is of the Balanus genus, large, single and
long-lived. The photo was snapped while it had its hairy catch arms out.

Because of its many 'caves', the wreck soon attracted nocturnal fish
in search for a place to sleep. The most numerous of these are the bigeyes
and slender roughies. Normally one can find them side by side in dark holes,
but on the Warrior they strangely segregated: the more numerous bigeyes
in the rear cabins and the slender roughies in the forecastle. By night
these little fish swim in the open around the wreck and it is miraculous
that they find their way home before sun rise.

f022717: the forecastle has been commandeered by slender
roughies (Optivus elongatus).

As the life on the wreck became more dense, it could maintain local
predators like moray eels and scorpionfish.

f021330: a red scorpionfish (granddaddy hapuka) (Scorpaena
cardinalis) is always on alert, day and night. Its only pleasure in
life is to ambush unwary fish.

f008307: a grey moray (Gymnothorax nubilus) hunting
for small prey in the many tight recesses, pipes and tunnels of the wreck.
This is the smallest of moray eels in NZ.

It appears that the small wreck could provide sufficient food for those
organisms that can adapt their diets, the 'catholic' feeders of 'food switchers',
such as leatherjackets.

f049837: schools of young leatherjackets (Parika scaber)
feeding on a great variety of food, from algae to sponges. Once they grow
bigger, they also become territorial and leave for larger territory.

f022728: a rough thinfinger sponge (Callyspongia ramosa)
has a very tough skeleton, too rough for leatherjackets.

f008324: a seven armed star (Astrostole scabra) typically
hunts sea urchins but these have remained absent.

f008327: a spanish lobster () or slipper lobster lives gently
from a smorgasbord of species but crayfish never established here.

The wreck also attracted 'hotel guests', visitors from the sand flats,
looking for a place to sleep. One of these is the john dory (Zeus faber).
It is amazing how these fish can find their way back home from their fossicking
journeys far away (see night dive below).

f040835: a collection of red and green seaweeds has heaped
up by the bow. Red towel weed (Gigartina sp) and green sea lettuce
(Ulva
lactuca). There is apparently enough light on the sandy bottom for
these to thrive.

f040830: a diver watches a female red pigfish (Bodianus
unimaculatus) go about her business, under the bowsprit of the Rainbow
Warrior.

We finally must not lose sight of the fact that a number of reef organisms
did not establish themselves on the artificial reef:

pink paint or crustose coralline algae (Lithothamnion sp.). This
stony red seaweed forms the basis of all reefs in New Zealand, allowing
others to grow over it, like seaweeds and sponges. Apparently it did not
like the steel or aluminium substrate. Also absent are coralline turf,
some of the most hardy species in New Zealand.

the common or green urchin (Evechinus chloroticus). It is normally
found higher up in the water column, and the wreck may just be too deep
for it.

crayfish or spiny lobster (Jasus edwardsii). Although local fishermen
seeded the wreck with undersized crayfish, the youngsters refused to settle
there. One could think that they have been taken by divers, but it is more
likely that the wreck just doesn't provide the kind of food it likes. Crayfish
are patent scavengers and they thrive on reefs where the odd fish or sea
urchin dies.

schooling fish of all kind. It remains a bit of a mystery why schooling
fish never established themselves around the wreck, even though they can
be found in large numbers a few hundred metres north. Our suggestion is
that there is just not enough current flowing past the wreck, as for instance
around Truelove Reef to the north. The better place wins. One can find
a few demoiselles and young blue maomao and in summer some snapper can
be seen.

DivingThe Rainbow Warrior shipwreck can be reached only by boat, either by
small boats from Matauri Bay where one can camp, or by charter boats departing
from Paihia in the Bay of Islands. It is a long trip from there, reason
why the second dive is made somewhere on the return trip.

A dive on the Rainbow Warrior is a deep dive that will certainly exhaust
one's bottom time, so one should keep a wary eye on the decompression meter.
Because it is a small ship, it is a safe dive, for one cannot get lost
inside. At the time of writing, much of the super structure had disappeared
and lies scattered around on the sand. Because it was made of light aluminium
sheets, waves were able to distribute them over a wide area. Over the years
the ship has sunk deeper and deeper in the sand, and is not likely to be
moved by large storms. It has always heeled to its starboard (righthand)
side, which exposes its port side to the light, as this side also faces
north towards the sun. So the difference between the two sides of the ship
is large. On the sunlit side one finds all kinds of seaweeds, trimmed by
industrious leatherjackets that also eat sponges. On its shaded side the
plants are absent and a kaleidoscope of filter feeders (like sponges) takes
their place. Because these grow much slower, they often can't keep up with
the rate of rust formation.

Although the marine life here is reasonably robust, you have to watch
out not to kick it or to accidentally be pushed into it by the current.

In any case, a dive on the Warrior usually consists of descending from
the surface buoy down the heavy anchor chain to about 15m depth. Often
the wreck is not visible when visibility is poor, and one needs to swim
a magnetic east course to see the hull loom up out of the green void. From
here the swim is often a round tour from the stern to the bow and back.
On the return, a safety stop is done off the anchor chain.

The currents are usually mild, enough to foster rich marine life but
insufficient to worry divers. However, it can sometimes be a nuisance,
particularly at the surface. Visibility is usually poor in spring (Sep-Dec)
but improves during summer and autumn (Jan-May). Water temperatures are
highest in Feb-Mar. It is not advisable to dive in a short wetsuit or a
long suit thinner than 3mm, even in summer.

f219322: boats queuing off the buoy (not visible) and divers
swimming against the current to the chain.

f049805: we found a plaque but can anyone enlighten us? A
dolphin jumping over a railing?

f022725: a diver hangs motionless by the bow where rich marine
life can be found.

f049808: the decking has been eaten away by ship worm. Cables
messed up. Some aluminium panels are still standing with white electrolysis
pockmarks.

f021415: divers crowding the anchor line on their ascent.

Night divingThe Warrior makes a beautiful night dive with all its colours and variety
but be aware that all dangers amplify. One can easily become disorientated,
lose sight of safe bottom time, fail to find the chain, and so on. Ascending
safely in open water, in the dark is just not easy. The charter boat which
is moored to the buoy, can not easily pick you up either. So take extra
care.

Jewel anemones (Corynactis haddoni) occur in a wide variety
of colour. During the day they look like colourful crowns squatting on
the substrate with no room to spare. But only this magenta variety
extends itself by night, sometimes to finger-height. On wrecks it colonises
and grows around railings as seen here. For more jewel
anemones , click here in our selected
images.

f021319: the magenta jewel anemones extend themselves far
out only by night. Other jewel anemone species do not display this behaviour.
Here is a fully clad railing by night.

f021315: magenta jewel anemones by night, thronging for space.
Jewel anemones reproduce quickly by splitting, so we are looking at a single
individual here, cloned many times over.

f021311: white-tentacled anemones can reproduce by splitting
new ones, thus rapidly colonising a good spot.

f021327: some fish come to the wreck for sleeping such as
this john dory (Zeus faber) who normally hunts over the sand flats,
even though there is so much fish on board.

On the map above we've marked two alternative dive sites, definitely
our favourites. The most important one lies just north of the Warrior in
the shelter (south) of Horonui Island. This is an ideal spot for
your second shallow dive, as it has an interesting terrain with narrow
canyons hugging the island and gradually sloping shallows with lots of
tame fish. It is also a very good nightdive.

The second spot is Truelove Reef on the exposed side (north)
of Horonui Island, of which two pinnacles poke above the surface. This
reef descends to 27m with the most spectacular schools of demoiselle and
blue maomao. Deeper down the variety of life remains impressive. Although
you can go deep, it is a safe dive because you can spend time decompressing
in the shallows, while still observing an abundance of life all around.
Note that the swell can be prohibitive.

This
drawing of the Rainbow Warrior shows its basic shape with a deck over the
forecastle (above the peace dove) and rear cabins. The main deck in front
of the steering house and alongside the cabins is bordered by solid railings.
At the time of writing, the steering house has disappeared and also the
funnel and its surrounds. So the engine room can be seen (and dived into)
from above. The site of the first bomb is now under the sand but the two
holds can still be accessed from hatches above. Wherever there are rooms
with side-ways (rather than top-down) access, one can find large numbers
of nocturnal bigeyes and slender roughies. The latter species appears to
have commandeered the forecastle. The second bomb did not explode on this
side of the ship but on the other side, to the rear where the ship is strongest.

LocationIt was not easy to find a suitable location for scuttling the Rainbow
Warrior for it had to be a place remote from any reefs, because scientists
thought that the wreck would affect the environment in a bad way (which
proved to be nonsense). It had to be in a sheltered place so that northerly
storms would not wreck it too soon while scattering steel plates everywhere.
It had to be shallow enough for safe diving, yet deep enough to be out
of reach for most waves and for navigation. And perhaps it could be located
in a slight current that would greatly benefit marine life.

That place was found after the local Maori consented to have the wreck
sunk at the Cavalli Islands, north of the Bay of Islands. The place was
scouted and then affirmed by Parliament and gazetted. It was later discovered
that the actual resting place of the Rainbow Warrior was hundreds of metres
out, a mistake made by those who marked the site.
According to the chart, the wreck lies on 22m of sandy bottom, with
its top securely under 12m depth. Divers will notice a depth of 23m and
the top deck at 16m. The wreck lies in an easterly direction with its bow
pointing east and its stern pointing west. The ship heels (tilts) over
to starboard (righthand side) such that the place of impact of the first
bomb cannot be seen unless one descends into the hold.

Although a large buoy was placed at the stern (rear) of the wreck, it
mysteriously disappeared at times. Some say that it was done to force divers
to join charter trips; others say that storms did it. In any case, it was
later replaced and is now considered an important safety item. The buoy
has a long chain which connects to a large concrete block at the bottom,
located a few metres from the stern. Divers can easily locate both the
ship from the buoy at the beginning of their dives, and the buoy from the
ship on their return.

Visual bearings to nearby islands. The buoy and chain
have been replaced.

Even
though the buoy can be seen from some distance, it pays to also know how
to locate it from local visual bearings. The easiest of these runs almost
due east (magnetic), just 'joining' Hamaruru Island in the foreground with
Haraweka in the distance. The other bearing runs almost due north (magnetic)
such that a small pinnacle in front of Motutapere Island just begins to
separate from it. The chart shows the buoy on the wrong side of the wreck
and locates the wreck at 34º58.50' S, 173º56.10' E . The actual
GPS co-ordinates are: 34º58.60'S 173º58.14'E. (Click the chart
for a larger version, 400KB)
The wreckage is scattered to the south (starboard) of the wreck which
leaves its shallower side to the north free for anchoring. When anchoring
here make sure to drop the anchor some 20-30m away from the wreck so that
the chain will not touch it. Swim in a magnetic S direction towards the
ship and make a mental picture of where this is relative to the railings
and super structure. On the return one may not see the anchor warp from
the wreck, so swim back from the point of arrival in a magnetic N direction.

Distant view of the Cavalli Islands from the monument.
The Rainbow Warrior lies on left behind the Kaitirehe rock in the middle.The leftmost island is Horonui; the conical peak is Motutapere,
the main island on right Motukawanui.

PhotosFor the underwater photographer the Rainbow Warrior shipwreck offers
many possibilities, depending on the conditions. If the water is murky,
the sky overcast and a swell running, one's chances become slim as wide
angle photography demands clear water and bright sunshine, whereas macro
photography requires a tranquil sea. The photos shown here give you an
idea of what is possible.

f008405: divers swimming over the rear deck. Notice the bent-up
railing, caused by large ships pulling up their stuck anchors.

f008409: a diver taking notes, seen through a hole in the
sun-lit solid railing (a scupper). The yellow sponges are an Iophon
species.

f049816: the hole in the solid railing is the same as in
previous photo (a scupper). Note that all wooden decking has disappeared,
eaten by ship worm. Sponges prefer the vertical surfaces.

f049809: two-spot demoiselles (Chromis dispilus) are
not numerous but some have started breeding there. A deep blue male is
guarding its eggs laid on a red encrusting sponge.

f049831: a diver under the bowsprit where planktivorous fish
shelter in the current. Blue maomao, demoiselles and trevally.

f049811: encrusted with a variety of life, railings also
offer holdfast to the stalked kelp. Female sandagers wrasses (Coris
sandageri) picking at the growth.

f008425: thick mats of jewel anemones, competing for space
with seaweeds on the bow sprit. Hydroid trees further up on the railings.

f022705: a railing pulled out of shape by a boat anchor is
covered in some places while rusting in others.

f049804: yellow antler sponges and white anemones on the
stern.

f008435: railings have interesting shapes for photographs.
Two leatherjackets nibbling away at the encrusting life.

Further readingAll references are available from the National Library of New Zealand,
and those in
blue are available from
the Seafriends Library

Death of the Rainbow Warrior Michael King, Auckland : Penguin
, 1986
Eyes of fire, the last voyage of the Rainbow
Warrior. 1986. Robie, DavidRainbow Warrior : battle for the planet : an extraordinary adventure
Jill
Morris Tells of the birth and work of the Greenpeace Foundation and, especially,
the Rainbow Warrior ship, in the fight to save the world's… Norwood,
S. Aust. : Omnibus Books , 1998
Rainbow Warrior : the French attempt to sink Greenpeace
Sunday Times of London Insight Team London : Hutchinson , 1986
Sabotage! : the diary of Rowan Webb, Auckland, 1985 Sharon Holt
The
Rainbow Warrior was the flag ship of the Greenpeace movement, when it was
sunk by agents of the French Foreign Intelligence, while…
Auckland [N.Z.] : Scholastic , 2008
Sink the Rainbow! : an inquiry into the
"Greenpeace Affair" John Dyson, Joseph Fitchett Auckland, N.Z. : Reed Methuen
, 1986Ten minutes to midnight Colin Lloyd Amery An account
of the Rainbow Warrior affair and its aftermath. Auckland [N.Z.]
: Earl of Seacliff Art Workshop , 1989
The Rainbow Warrior affair Isobelle Gidley,
Richard Shears Sydney : Unwin Paperbacks , 1985